Cure
Prolouge Peachwhisker scarped the last bit of earth over Hawkpelt's body and sat back, exhausted. The tom had died of the Fever only moments before, and she'd wasted no time burrying him. Who knew how many of the cats he'd infected before the sickness had taken his life? Peachwhisker was already starting to feel the Fever settling into her body. She knew she was infected, but couldn't bring herself to move to the sick camp. The healthy cats needed her. Peachwhisker glanced up at the night sky through the drizzling rain. Lilypaw had been gone from the Clan for over half a moon. If she wasn't dead yet, she wasn't going to come back to the Clan with the cure. There was no hope left for WindClan. Peachwhisker finished off with Hawkpelt's body and got to her paws, heading back to the small hollow where she'd been staying ever since she'd considered that she had the Fever. She couldn't risk infecting anyone. Peachwhisker curled up in her nest, staring numbly at her flank. Her once beautiful tortoiseshell pelt was dull and matted. Without warning, the worst headache Peachwhisker had ever had shot into her skull. She cried out in pain and curled up in a ball in her nest as heat blossomed over her, blinding out all senses. Peachwhisker's pelt burned with heat, her head was pounding faster than her racing heart. She forced her eyes open, trying to cling to whatever she could and force the pain away. But nothing worked. All she could see was a hallucination of her daughter, Sorrelkit, who died when she was just two moons old, renacting her death. Peachwhisker screamed in agony and slammed her head against the ground, trying to stop the painful images, but she could still hear Sorrelkit's pitiful moans and the pain was still consuming her. Chapter One Lilypaw raced through the hills, blocking any thoughts whatsoever from entering her mind. It was all so much. In the moon since she left her Clan, she'd befriended so many. Snowbell and Carper, Crash, Violet and Thyme. And Crash and Thyme were dead. Dead. Lilypaw wondered, once more, if she was too late to save her Clan, and she'd come back to nothing but corpses. The high sun beat down mercilessly on Lilypaw's thick pelt, and she grimaced. The WindClan cat raced to the top of a hill and scanned her surroundings; a nice deep pool would be wonderful to cool off in right now. She settled on a small puddle of rainwater; not much, but still cool enough to soak into Lilypaw's gray fur and cool her skin. She hauled herself out, shaking herself but not licking herself dry. The water was trapped in her fur, and it would help to keep her cool until nightfall fell. Even though she could still feel the heat, just under the surface of her skin where the coldness of the water could not reach, it was bearable now. Lilypaw continued through the moors, unable to smother her giddiness; it had been a moon since she'd felt the springy grass of hills under her paws, hear the wind whining across the bare landscape, or smell the unbidden scent of rabbit on her tongue. A rabbit sprang out of a burrow close by and shot off across the moor. Needing no other invitation, Lilypaw pelted after it, closing her eyes in delight as the wind whipped through her fur and plastered her whiskers to her muzzle. Chapter Two Lilypaw didn't want to wake up, but she felt uncomfortably hot again. Moaning, she rolled over and staggered to her paws, blinking groggy eyes. She sucked in a breath and sqwuaked in surprise, staggering back a step. Crash was standing on the top of the hill, just a few fox-lengths from her. His green eyes glowed the same way they did when he was alive, and when he caught her eye, he grinned and beckoned to her with his tail. Lilypaw stumbled back. Why are you so afraid of him? A voice in the back of her head whispered. I'm not! She shot back. Crash is dead. I saw him die. She closed her eyes tight, and when she opened them Crash was gone. See? I'm just losing a lot of sleep these days. It was just a hallucination. But as Lilypaw mounted the hill and walked through the spot she'd seen Crash, she was sure she caught a whisp of his scent clinging to the swaying grass. Chapter Three Lilypaw pounded after the rabbit, determined not to let this one get away, but either the rabbits were getting faster or she was slowing down. The rabbit pulled ahead and disappeared over the top of the hill. Go over the top, Lilypaw ordered herself. Running downhill will be easier. But before she could force her paws to move, she collapsed in a heap on the soft grass, and fell into a much-needed slumber. ~ ~ ~ Something poked her flank, hard. "Hey, you. Soft fuzzy kitten! Wake up!" Another painful poke in the ribs. Lilypaw groaned and sat up. A brown tabby tom loomed over her, eyes sparked with irritation. "What are you doing?" He barked, tail tip twitching. "Sleeping in the open like that?" Lilypaw blinked hard. She couldn't remember how she got here, or when she fell asleep. "S-Sorry," She stammered, clambering to her paws. The tabby stared at her with curious eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked finally, giving her a gentle sniff. She nodded blearily. "Yeah. Fine. Just haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately." The tom nodded slowly. "I saw that rabbit of yours get away," He mewed sympathetically, "Tough luck. I got it back for you, though." He nodded to a limp brown rabbit lying next to her. She blinked slowly. Had she been hunting? "Thanks," She said slowly. The tom nodded proudly and loped off, leaving Lilypaw confused and still extremely tired. Chapter Four Lilypaw sat crouched in the bush she'd dragged herself into earlier that served as a den. Her skin burned, making her pelt itch, and she felt so weak she couldn't stand to save her life. All she could do was pillow her head on her paws and stare as the cats danced in and out of her vision. It started with Thyme. The tabby she-cat was a few fox-lengths away, sitting in the grass, moaning. She shifted to look at Lilypaw and there was the fatal wound that had killed her, a slash from throat to belly, spraying blood everywhere. Lilypaw swore she could feel it's heat and smell it's reek when it splattered over her coat, and she flinched. Two dead bodies lay at Thyme's paws, dead so long they were beginning to rot, the fur and flesh peeling away from yellowed bone. When Thyme and her kits disappeared, they were replaced with Aquastar. Her beautiful long gray fur was tangled and smelled of rotting sickness, and her eyes, when she looked at Lilypaw, were empty pits. Lilypaw's stomach lurched; she wanted to look away, away from the skeletal face of her leader, but every joint was locked in place by pain and heat. Aquastar began to yowl a summon that called a Clan gathering in the camp - but she only got halfway through the yowl when her skin, flesh, fur, blood, everything, just disappeared. A pile of bones, not supported by anything any longer, clattered in a heap into the grass instead. Lilypaw moaned and felt bile rise into her throat. A familiar voice danced in her ear as Crash joined the hallucinations. He was right in front of her, covered in bleeding scratches from the fight that killed him, and he bit into the scruff of her neck and tugged, trying to get her to her feet. "Come on, Lilypaw. I promised I'd get you the cure for your cats. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I can't keep that promise." Lilypaw couldn't explain why she was terrified of Crash - but she was, and screeched and clawed at him to get away. When her claws hit the side of his face, it pulled away fur and skin, revealing red muscle and sickly white tendon beneath, a long section of it just below his eye. "Ouch. That hurt." He shook his head, scattering bits of rotted black fur, and reached for her again. Lilypaw's screaming eventually pulled her from sleep; she was in the bush, but it was night time. Her fur burned with an uncontrolable inferno, and her head had never felt so full of pressure. I'm dying, she thought with a jolt, staggering to her paws. She needed to find water. She would burst into flames if she didn't. I swore I saw a pond this way, Lilypaw thought to herself, lurching over a hill, her paws slipping and leaving smears of blood behind on the grass. There! And sure enough, there was a pond, a small one but it was enough. But Lilypaw didn't have any more energy to do anything else but flop down to the grass where she was and fall unconcious, mercifully without hallucinations. Chapter Five Lilypaw woke the next morning, still burning but not as bad as the night before. She dragged herself down the hill to the pond, grass and dirt clotting the underbelly of her fur, until she hit the water; the result was almost instant. The chill sank into her fur, pulled the tendrils of heat away from her skin. It felt wonderful. She'd never swam much before, but she found herself floating on her back and watching the sun makes it way across the sky, not yet hungry enough to want to drag herself out and hunt. She fell asleep like that, the sun's rays warming her belly fur comfortably and the water keeping her back wonderfully cool. It was past sunhigh when she woke up feeling the best she had in a while. Her back was waterlogged but her belly was warm and tickly as she paddled to the shore and hauled herself out, shaking her fur. Her belly grumbled. Sniffing the air, she could pick up a trace of rabbit on the air, and for once she didn't dread the chase she would have to give to catch food. Letting her fur hang damp around her, keeping her cool, she went off in pursuit of fresh-kill. She found the little brown creature nibbling at a bush, stripping branches and crunching them between it's big teeth. Lilypaw lunged at it, feeling lean and swift as the rabbit bolted and she kept pace with it easily, weaving through the hills. She felt a rush go through her. This is my home. The hills. I'll always belong here. With a last desperate burst of energy the rabbit tried to fling itself over the peak of a hill and disappear over the edge - but Lilypaw was faster and sank her claws into it's rump, dragging it back. She had a moment where she stared into it's tiny black eyes and saw the most stripped, raw form of terror she'd ever seen, before her paw came down across it's neck and snapped it's spine with a loud crack. Proud that she had caught prey without being left winded by whatever bug had long since plagued her, Lilypaw sat down to eat her catch atop the hill, not bothering to drag it back to the bush she had set up camp in, and watched the sky turn orange in preparation of the sunset. That's when she saw it - right below her, in a valley beneath the hill she was sitting on. Lit to shades of fire with the setting sun - thousands of flowers, sunshine in color, dark green stems. Masses of them, bunched together so tightly there was hardly any grass visible. Lilypaw's heart skipped a beat. The herbs. Chapter Six When Lilypaw had first begun her journey, she was half sure the herbs were just a tale, and she would never find them, just chase stories until she found a new life for herself. It was better than hanging around and watching her Clan die, anyways. She had been half-sure, once she met Crash, that he would be the one to give her the new life after that, but that option was gone. But now she had them. An herb, something to cure her Clanmates, bring them back from death. And then she wouldn't need to run away and find herself a new life. She could have her old one back. There was the chance that the herb wouldn't work - that the story of the cure itself was a fake - but it was a chance Lilypaw had to take. If it didn't work and they still died it would be easy for her to leave again - but to stay gone and let them die when she had a possible cure wasn't something she could live with. Lilypaw didn't want to leave the hills and their swaying grasses, but she wanted to be home as soon as possible. After rolling in the herbs for a few moments, inhaling their sweet scent, just assuring herself they were real and not one of her hallucinations, she nipped at over two dozen stalks, till she was dropped yellow petals and gnawed stalks whenever she turned her head. But the travel was too far to leave without enough to treat the whole Clan - or what remained of it. She wrapped her bundle of herbs tightly with long grasses to hold it secure during her travel home. Her belly grumbled, making her pause in tying the grasses, but she wanted to be home as soon as possible. Though she would have to stop for prey eventually...and who knew when she'd find another rabbit in the Twolegplace or the woods...sighing, she set her herb wrap off to the side, the flowers turned up so she could see their bright yellow faces if she misplaced it when she was hunting. After finding herself another rabbit to eat - the one she had killed upon finding the valley was gone, though there was no sign as to who - or what - could've taken it - she settled down to eat under the shade of a tall bush, next to a pond, trying to eat her fill before she left. It was nearly sunhigh and she wanted to be well on her way to the forest and out of the moors by sunfall. "You came all the way out here just for those flowers?" Lilypaw lifted her head in surprise; it was the tom from a few days' before, the brown tabby. He sat on the other side of the pond, staring at her quizically. She swallowed her bite of rabbit and got to her paws. "They're important. They could cure a terrible sickness." Lilypaw's voice sounded almost rusty from disuse, and she had to clear her throat to get rid of the awkward roughness to it. The tom looked at her warily, craning his neck to sniff in her direction even though the whole pond separated them. "You're not sick, are you? You seemed sick that day..." Lilypaw, who had always been good at reading other cats, realized this tom must have someone important to him whom he didn't want getting sick. Young kits, maybe, or perhaps an elderly parent. "No, I'm not sick. My family is, though, and I need to get these plants to help them." She flicked her tail towards the bundle of flowers. The brown tom still looked uneasy but came around the edge of the pool to stand beside her. "I could help you. Carry more herbs back to wherever you live." He nodded towards the hill where the flowers were growing. "Thank you, but my home is so far away. It's nearly a moon's journey. I'm sure there's someone in these moors that needs you more than I do." She watched him carefully, and sure enough his ears flattened against his head. "My sister," He muttered, his claws tearing at the grass. "She's got two kits and no way to take care of them on her own. If she or her kits got sick - if I got sick and couldn't take care of them - they would die." Lilypaw felt a short spike of fear - what if she really was sick, and had infected this tom and his sister's kits? But no. It had been nearly a moon since she left her Clan, and she had been healthy then. There was no way she could be sick. "I can help," Lilypaw offered, feeling the need to give as much advice to this tom as she could. He seemed young, too young to be taking care of himself, two kits and a sister. His eyes widened a bit. "How?" Lilypaw walked past him to a bush growing by the edge of the pond, clawing away watered-fed moss until she found a sprig of roots between two wet rocks. "These are herbs, for example. Mallow leaves. Pretty common around ponds. They'll help if any of you gets a bellyache." She set the shoots down in front of the tom, who sniffed them in surprise, and then crouched at the edge of the pool; before the tabby tom had a chance to ask what she was doing, her paw snapped into the water and flung out a minnow. After it landed on the rocks, flapping wildly, she broke it's neck with a blow from her paw, ending it's life easily. "You'll be able to find minnows in just about any of these ponds. Nothing but a mouthful, but enough if rabbits aren't an option for whatever reason." He sniffed at the minnow doubtfully as she continued on. "Also, this is a trick my mentor taught me - when you're stalking rabbits, it's best not to chase at full speed right away. Run slow, keep the rabbit penned by darting forward to cut it off if it tries to swerve, and let it tire itself out. That way you'll be nearly fresh for the take down." He looked overwhelmed, blinking and working his claws in the soil. "You've taught me more in three minutes than my father did in ten moons before he died." He looked down at the minnow and herb pile at his paws. "Thank you. My name's Chaser, by the way." "Lilypaw." The WindClan appretice swept her bushy gray tail across the stones. "Look, it's been nice meeting you and showing you the things I know, but I really need to get going home now. My Clan needs these herbs." Chaser nodded, a purr rumbling through him. "Hurry, then. It's a long journey. But if you ever find yourself in my moors again, don't hesitate to stop and find me. I'll never be able to fully thank you for what you showed me. My sister will be grateful, too." Lilypaw turned and scooped up her herb parcel, which was so big she could hardly fit her jaws around it. Unable to speak around the flowers to say good-bye, Lilypaw dipped her head once to Chaser before turning and sprinting up the hills. Her belly fur and the sun warm on her fur, Lilypaw was finally heading home - her journey was nearly over. Epilouge Peachwhisker's paws hit the ground in a steady rhythm, matching the beats of her heart - ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. The rabbit swerved around the grass in front of her, teasing her along, making her work just enough to make her overworked muscles burn and the breath begin to saw out of her aching lungs. Suddenly not seeing any use to gain from the rabbit other than a torn leg muscle, Peachwhisker slowed her pace until the rabbit was haring away, disappearing from sight over the crest of a hill. The tortoiseshell queen sighed and came to a complete stop, stretching her forelegs out, pulling the sore muscles taut. Releasing them was like releasing a trail of fire into her blood, but it was pleasurable, the reward of a long run, even if she didn't get the big prize - the rabbit. She knew Flintclaw would be furious with her if he found out she had let prey get away, but something had struck her right then, the need to give up. Nearly two moons had passed since Lilypaw had left in search of the "cure" for the Fever. Mintpaw and Hawkpelt had both fallen victim to the illness, and six other sick cats had died. Everyone had clung to the belief that Lilypaw would return, with that blasted herb and cure them all. But everyone had given up hope after the first moon had passed and the gray apprentice hadn't been seen.Peachwhisker missed her terribly. Now, she forced her legs to move to the top of the hill. She stared down the slope of the moor to the Clan territories below - ThunderClan, settling into the hollow for sleep. ShadowClan in their pines, and RiverClan by the river. None of them cared that WindClan was dying. None of them cared that there would soon only be three Clans in the forest. Peachwhisker felt a sudden exhaustion, pulling at her limbs and organs like lead to a magnet, threatening to pull her under and never let up. That's when she saw it. A smudged gray shape moving across the hill opposite of Peachwhisker, moving slowly and deliberately. Stunned, Peachwhisker shook her head. She had to be hallucinating. But no - peering closer, she could make out aqua-colored eyes, dark but still colorful in the darkness. Lilypaw. Peachwhisker made a soft noise in the back of her throat and flung herself down the hill, suddenly running faster than the rabbit ever could've encouraged her to run. She slowed just before slamming into Lilypaw, unable to smother her yowl of joy at seeing the apprentice alive - and then she looked closer at the gray she-cat. Lilypaw used to have beautiful, long gray fur, a lovely shade and texture. But now it was dark, ungroomed, matted and the beautiful long locks were tangled into knots. Her tiny paws were swollen, and her ears were ripped and caked with dried blood. And those eyes - those gorgeous aqua blue eyes of hers were dead, lightless, nothing but a flat color. She held a clamped bundle of dark green stems in her jaws, the yellow flowers at their ends wilted. "Lilypaw! How are you alive? We all thought you were dead-" Peachwhisker burried her nose in the apprentice's shoulder, her purr nearly knocking her off her paws, but Lilypaw shook her off. "These-" Lilypaw hardly had a word out before she was doubled over, wracked with coughs that forced red blood from between her jaws. Peachwhisker could only stare in horror as the gray cat hunched over, coughing blood onto the grass. "The herbs," she gasped, flopping onto her belly. The bundle had fallen from her mouth, and now lay near Peachwhisker's paws, their scent sharp in her nose. "They're - the cure - for the Fever-" Peachwhisker recoiled from them as if they were poison. Lilypaw had been travelling with these herbs and hadn't used them to cure herself? It was obvious she had the Fever - her eyes were glassy and her fur was giving off sharp pulses of heat - and she was still sick. Had never tried to cure herself of the Fever. Lilypaw groaned and let her head slump onto her paws. "I'm sorry for leaving," she whispered, her words muffled by her fur. "I know I'm dying, and then you'll be down another cat. Bu I needed to find the cure - and unless this doesn't work, the whole Clan will be healthy again. You won't need me then." Her head lifted, and for a moment Peachwhisker swore her aqua colored eyes were alive again, held a spark, a faint trace of mischief that used to be in the old Lilypaw's eyes. "I only wish I could've gotten my warrior name first." Peachwhisker bent her head, not caring that the apprentice was close to death because of this Fever and could still infect her, and touched her nose gently to Lilypaw's head. "You're braver than any warrior," the tortoiseshell she-cat whispered. Lilypaw let out one last sigh before the light died from her eyes and her body slumped, lifeless. Peachwhisker drew back, stifling a sob. Lilypaw had brought back the cure, finally, after two moons of journeying - and had died as soon as she'd come home, moments after delivering the cure. Sighing, Peachwhisker licked Lilypaw's eyelids closed, so she looked as if she was sleeping. "Welcome home, Lilypaw," Peachwhisker murmured. She scooped up the herbs and turned for the camp, eager to get the cure to the sick cats so they would be healthy again, as soon as possible. Right before passing over the top of a hill that would cut the rest of the territory from view, Peachwhisker paused and glanced over her shoulder. Lilypaw lay alone on the hill, a bright silver shape in the dark of night. All alone...but she was home now. She was with the rest of her fallen Clanmates in StarClan. Peachwhisker turned and raced for camp. Category:Fan Fictions